Gingoog likely to lose P173 million worth of infra projects

GINGOOG Mayor Marie Guingona has called on Vice Mayor Erick Cañosa to help push for the approval of a P173.4-million budget for farm-to-market road concreting projects intended for six hinterland barangays in their city.

The call came as the Philippine Rural Development Project-National Program Coordination Office (PRDP-NPCO) issued an advisory that failure to perfect the agreements before Dec. 31, 2015 would mean the cancellation of the projects obtained through Guingona’s efforts.

In an open letter dated Dec. 23, 2015, Mayor Guingona reiterated her earlier request to Vice Mayor Cañosa for the grant of full authority to enter into an Implementation Management Agreement (IMA) with the Department of Agriculture for two multi-million farm-to-market road projects connecting barangays San Miguel to Kalagonoy and Malibud, San Jose, Kianlagan to Dinawehan.  These PRDP projects have a total stretch of 16.5 kilometers with concrete paving of five meters (width), three meters of shouldering, and two  meters of canal.

The PRDP-NPCO issued a stern warning that Dec. 31, 2015 is the deadline. If the IMA is not perfected by the end of 2015, the P173.387 million projects in Gingoog would be cancelled. The advisory was received by the Gingoog city council on Dec. 23, 2015.

During its Dec. 16 session, the city council rejected the full authorization of the projects–five voted in favor, and seven voted against it.

Canosa, in a privilege speech during the same session, said the city council would grant authority to the Guingona only when she presents the winning bidders.

But no bidding can be conducted unless the city council grants full authority in order to perfect the IMA, said director Roxana Hojas, PRDP regional project director.

Guingona said, “The voluminous and meticulous preparations were painstakingly undertaken by several officials and employees of the LGU for more than one year. With PRDP, the people of Gingoog will benefit from a P173,387,000 worth of road projects being outsourced from the World Bank through the national government without any obligation to pay back the money and without depleting the funds of the local government.

“If the project is nipped in the bud as Vice Mayor Cañosa and his political faction in the SP concertedly denied the granting of the appropriate authority to enter into IMA, it would be an unprecedented loss for the city since this is so far the largest infrastructure project obtained by the city government. It would be additionally unfortunate because several landowners have already donated a portion of their adjoining lands to the concerned barangay units. Worse, some land owners have already made clearing of the land and had cut down trees in anticipation of the PRDP road widening.

“The people are excited as this is the first experience of Gingoog to benefit from a multi-million grant. It is believed that future grants would be easier depending on how we satisfy the source/grantors of the funds. As things now stand, Gingoog may have sent a negative signal to them.” (advt)